Can't Stay Away Under the Rose
by Shadowspeed2020
Summary: Numb.Ever since Iblis was extiquished,I feel empty, like a part of me has faded away.I want to get rid of this feeling,and feel something instead of emptyness.Maybe I need someone to fill the emptyness.MephilesxOC
1. Chapter 1

**The title is a combination of two songs that fit the story. First song is Under the Rose by H.I.M and represents Mephiles' changes throughout the story. The second is Can't Stay Away by the Veronicas, showing the growing relationship between them.**

I can't believe I still exist. With Solaris' destruction, I should have been completely erased. Now, I am left with only my orb attacks, dark chaos lance and form change. But that's not all that has changed....I feel an....emptiness where Iblis used to be, his flames a part of me like my hands or my eyes.

I wandered the streets of an unknown city for a long time that night. I am still in shock of being alive without Iblis. If anything, we were more than just two parts to Solaris. We were like brothers, we had a little of each other inside the other. Now, without him, I feel empty. I don't even desire revenge over Shadow.

As I wandered, I became aware of several gazes upon me. They probably mistake me for Shadow or even Sonic. Distracting myself from my current thoughts, I looked around, guessing that I was in a bad part of the town. Most people seemed to back off when my poisonous green eyes fell upon them.

Before I could turn my gaze to a glare, a scream reached my ears. I didn't know why, but that scream made my heart clench, like it meant something. Unsure of what I was feeling, I ran to the source of it, glad I had been blessed with Shadow's speed when I took his form.

The source of the scream was a dark alley, a strange mist enveloping it at knee height. Looking down the alley, I saw a group of both humans and mobians, all of them surrounding something. I heard the scream, a girl's scream, only it was weaker, strained and barely audible.

"Get away from her, now!" I said, making my tone as deathly and threatening as I could. They all looked at me, one of them having a knife in hand.

"Listen pal, stay outta this, or we'll kill you," one of them said. I merely laughed, slowly taking a step closer to them.

"You? Kill me? What a joke. You're nothing but dust to me," I said, my laugh still evident as I spoke. The mist around me started to swirl, turning from grey to black, circling my feet. It moved slowly up my body, changing me into my crystalline from. My hands were now white claws of crystal, as were the tips of my quills. I looked down as purple flames burned at my feet.

"Whatever you are, stay away!" the knife wielder ordered with a shaky, nervous voice. I would have laughed again, but he quickly grabbed the girl, forcing her to stand and holding the knife to her throat. My heart clenched again, as did my fists as I backed away silently. The second I was out of sight, my body melted into black mist, moving back into the alley towards the gang.

"What was that thing? I looked like some kind of demon!" one of the gang members said, obviously unnerved from my presence. I moved closer to him, my misty form beneath his feet. As my laugh echoed silently around the alley, I pulled the boy, a large mobian bear, into my mist. When I threw him out again, he looked like he was about to break down crying.

"Bruno, what in Chaos happened to you?!" the knife wielder asked, obviously terrified now. Taking advantage of his fear, I moved behind him, my clawed hand rising from the ground and grabbing his ankle. I smirked evilly when he screamed, slowly dragging him down into my mist.

When I had him completely under, the other gang members were looking around, terrified that their leader had disappeared. I slowly rose from the ground, in front of the girl's limp body, holding the knife wielder, a green iguana, by the neck. The gang members started to back away, yelling and screaming when I threw their leader towards them.

Once they had left the alley, the black mist enshrouded my body, transforming me back to my normal form. I knelt beside the girl, a black cat with long raven black hair with light grey streaks, a black gothic dress and black heeled knee high boots. She had a few bruises, but my biggest worry was the cuts she had sustained. A growl involuntarily rose in my throat as I thought to the gang who'd done this.

"Keep....away....please...." the girl said hoarsely, her eyes opening to narrow slits.

"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you," I said sincerely, my heart clenching at the weakness in her voice. "My name is....Mephiles. I took care of those thugs who attacked you," I said, my green eyes meeting her light grey eyes. "I need to get you home in case they come back. Can you tell me your name?" I said, picking her up bridal style.

"My name....is Lilith. My house is at the end of the street, but my parents are out of town for their anniversary," she answered. She placed her arms around my neck, my heart beating faster as she did so. I don't know what I'm going through, but as long as it keeps the emptiness away, I'll think about it later.

"Just keep calm. Once your home I'll tend to your wounds," I said, leaving the cold grey mists of the alley. As we walked, I looked up at the sky, seeing the full moon in glowing radiance, the stars like diamonds in the sky.

"It's....a beautiful night," I said, not understanding why I found beauty in something that's seen every day.

"Yeah, it is," Lilith said, placing her head on my chest and falling asleep as I carried her. For some reason, my heart beat quicker from this. Before I could think on it further, I arrived at the house that I presumed Lilith lived in. I gently shook her awake, trying not to cause her any further pain.

Once she was awake, I let her go, letting her lean on my shoulder as she opened the door. Still leaning on me with my arm around her waist, we slowly entered, moving into her living room. I left for the bathroom while she sat down on the couch.

In the bathroom, I found the cabinet where the first aid supplies were kept. How I knew the kit was commonly found in the bathroom must be something I picked up from Shadow when I took his shape.

As I walked down the stairs, I glanced at the door, looking through the small window that one of those gang members was lurking around. It was that green iguana, and he looked through the door, an angry look darkening his face when he saw me. He charged for the door, but I beat him to it, locking it as he grabbed the handle.

He shot me an angry glare, then raced around the side of the house. My eyes widened before I shot through the hallway, making it to the back door as he opened it. In two swift moves, I landed a kick to his chest which knocked him out the door, then pulled the door shut, locking it.

"What in Chaos' name is going on?!" Lilith asked, panic evident in her voice. She looked outside and saw the iguana storming off, answering her questions. She seemed to be feeling better, the cuts already starting to heal.

"I think it's best if I stayed here with you until your parents return," I said, out of breath from the encounter with the iguana. Possibly lost for words, Lilith nodded.

"I guess you could share my room, but I need to get changed," she said, heading upstairs and leaving me in the living room. I sat down on the couch, my mind racing with questions. What had made me help her? Why did being near her keep the emptiness away? And why am I finding her so....beautiful?

My eyes widened at that thought. I mean, I _was_ half of a time destroying monster, I had even killed that blue hedgehog to do it. Besides that, who could ever love a monster like me? The only one who had showed me feelings was my friend, my _brother_ Iblis.

My thoughts were interrupted when Lilith returned, sitting down next to me. She had changed into a sleeveless black top and black shorts, wearing dark grey socks with a skull on them. Around her neck was a necklace with a small rose on it. I couldn't believe I was having these thoughts, but in a gothic way, she was the hottest girl I'd ever seen.

She got up and turned on the TV, the news being on the screen. The main story was something to do with Shadow and some G.U.N operation.

"You look a lot like Shadow, just with grey stripes and green eyes," Lilith said, trying to make conversation.

"I....I get that a lot," I said.

"Do you have any family? I bet your parents might be wondering where you are," she said, her question sending waves of pain over my heart.

"I...I don't....have any family. I used to have a brother, but he...died," I said, feeling a tear come to my eye.

"I'm sorry. I have a friend who's gone through the same thing. Of course, she lost her mother, and now her father blames her for it," Lilith said, her voice showing her uncertainty at revealing this.

"It's getting late. You need to rest after that attack," I said, helping her to her feet. We walked up the stairs, then into her room. The first thing I noticed was the goth style decor, something that would have possibly creeped out other individuals.

"Sorry if my room kinda scares you. I'm just really into gothic styles," Lilith said, looking at me nervously.

"No, I kinda like it," I said, walking over to a couch just large enough for me to sleep on. I grabbed a blanket and a cushion and lay down, watching as Lilith lay down in her bed and started to fall asleep. I noticed her shivering, getting up and gently touching her arm. It felt freezing, and my heat must have woken her.

"You're freezing cold," I said, taking note of her nervous eyes.

"When I close my eyes, images of the attack come are all I see. I can't take my mind off them," she said. Her tone was like she expected me to say something like "get over it" or something.

"Well, maybe if...I slept next to you, it might help keep those thoughts at bay," I said, half expecting her to yell at me. Instead she simply nodded, lifting the covers to let me lie down.

"Goodnight Mephiles," she said, falling asleep slowly.

"Goodnight Lilith," I said, placing a reassuring hand on her side. She grabbed it, and slowly we drifted into unconsciousness, our minds drifting to dreams.


	2. Chapter 2

As I slept, I couldn't stop dreaming of the day when Solaris ceased to exist. The day that the emptiness came. A part of me was taken, and I was left behind without Iblis, the warmth that was within my dark soul. I still couldn't believe it. I opened my eyes as I lost myself in my thoughts.

"_What if he survived like I did? Maybe he's out there somewhere, waiting for me. I have to find him!"_ my thoughts screamed, only quietened when I felt movement beside me. My mind suddenly snapped back to last night, the alley, the gang, the girl.....I looked to my side, seeing the black furred cat beside me.

"_I have to find him. But I can't leave her,"_ my mind whispered, making me sigh. I silently got to my feet, moving to the window and drawing back the curtains. The weather was a mixture of a sunny sky and an overcast one. As light flooded into the room, I heard the girl stir, looking to see her sit up and rub her eyes.

"Sorry I woke you," I said, watching as she stretched.

"Don't worry, I usually get up earlier than this. Did you sleep well?" she asked, her light grey eyes darkening a little in the sunlight.

"Yes, I did sleep well. Are you feeling okay, after what happened last night," I asked, seeing her arms had almost completely healed.

"I'm okay. Though do you mind going out this afternoon. I planned to meet my friends later," Lilith asked, getting out of bed and heading to her wardrobe.

"Of course I don't mind. I'd quite like to meet your friends," I muttered, heading for the door. Before I could leave the room, something hit my back. Turning and looking down, I found it was a knee length dark grey jacket, light grey jeans and a dark grey sleeveless shirt.

"I just thought, you know, so you don't get confused with Shadow," Lilith stuttered, rubbing the back of her neck. Looking at the clothes, I actually kinda liked them.

"Thank you. I think I like the idea," I smiled, heading out of the room to get changed. The jeans slid over my shoes easily, and the shirt had some slits for my back quills, as did the jacket. I'd have to ask her about that later, because for now she came out of her room, wearing a black tank top, dark coloured skinny jeans and her black boots.

"You like?" she asked, grinning as she did a little twirl. I have to admit, she certainly did look attractive in that outfit. Nodding, I noticed her grin get wider. "Thanks, you look good too," she said, taking my hand and leading me downstairs.

* * *

As we sat watching TV, the doorbell rang. Lilith jumped to her feet, her boot heels clicking with each step she took. I was close behind her when she opened the door.

"Hey Lilith. We heard about the attack last night, are you okay?" came a kinda perky voice.

"I'm fine, thanks to him," Lilith said, gesturing to me. Standing by the door was another black cat, only her hair was black and light grey and tied up in two large side-tied ponytails. The tips of these ponytails and the tips of her fringe over her forehead were dyed neon pink/purple. Her eyes were a similar pink and she had six spines like mine.

She was wearing a black tube top with a skull on the front, elbow length fishnet gloves and a black pleated skirt. She was also wearing knee high boots with long black and pink striped socks.

"Mephiles, this is Magenta. Magenta, this is Mephiles," Lilith introduced, looking at each of us as she said our names.

"So you saved Lilith. You must be strong to take on an entire gang on your own," Magenta gasped. I just shrugged.

"I'm guessing Scarlett, Viola and Miranda are already at the food court?" Lilith asked, grabbing a coat. Magenta nodded, already turning to lead the way. The two of us followed. I looked around the neighbourhood, seeing very few people around.

* * *

The food court was....crowded, to say the least. And since it was a Saturday, there were plenty of teens.

"Ugh, there's so many more people than there were before," Magenta groaned, trying to look over the crowd. Shaking my head in impatience, my hover shoes kicked in, levitating me high enough to see over the crowd.

"Anyone in particular I should look for?" I asked.

"Yeah, a black cat with bright crimson hair in two ponytails like mine," Magenta half yelled. Looking around, I found the cat described.

"Over there, this way," I said, joining the two girls on the ground. Pushing through the masses, we arrived at the table, collapsing into three empty seats and getting the attention of the others.

"Hey guys, this is Mephiles. He saved my life last night. Mephiles, this is Sam, Jason, Scarlett, Viola and Miranda," Lilith said, gesturing to each individual as she said their name.

Sam was a light brown fox with a pale peach muzzle and arms, long, messy blond hair, light blue eyes and four long spines at the back of his head with two framing his face. He was wearing a yellow T-shirt, a gold chain necklace, blue jeans held up by a brown belt and yellow and white shoes.

Jason was a grey hedgehog with tanned muzzle and arms, six drooping quills, short dark brown hair and crimson eyes. He was wearing a red button up shirt, a pair of grey gloves with red fingertips, light blue jeans held up by a gold chain and red boots.

Scarlett was the crimson haired cat and was wearing the same as Magenta, minus the gloves. She also had spiked bracelets and red striped socks.

Viola was also wearing the same as Magenta, only she was a hedgehog with thin drooping quills, black and light grey hair that had long, thin bent spikes that were a deep violet like her eyes. She also had huge butterfly wings, both with a purple skull and purple swirl patterns. She didn't have Magenta's gloves, and her socks had purple stripes.

Miranda was a black echidna with waist long midnight black hair that covered her dreadlocks and most of her face, piercing violet eyes and pale white muzzle. She was wearing a sleeveless black top and black jeans covered most of her boots. She was wearing fishnet gloves that covered scars on her wrists.

"Nice to have another guy in the group," Sam grinned, earning an eye roll from Magenta.

"Especially one strong enough to take on a whole gang," Jason muttered, a small grin on his face.

"I didn't take them on. I just frightened them off," I corrected, but Sam looked jokingly at Scarlett.

"Oh, looks like there's someone who scares a gang better than Scarlett," he joked, whistling innocently when the red haired cat looked at him, her crimson gaze even unnerving me.

"So, I'll bet that gang was Leo's. That iguana's one big coward unless he's ticked," Scarlett shrugged, looking uninterested.

"Yeah, he pretty much hates us. I hear he thinks of us a freaks," Viola sighed, looking at everyone as her words sank in.

"So? We're different and he can't accept it. If he even dares attack me, I'll rip his intestines out and strangle him with them," Miranda said flatly, getting disgusted looks from me, the two boys, Viola and Magenta.

"That sure sounds gruesome," Magenta shivered, her pink eyes looking at the black echidna.

"That's the point," Miranda shrugged. I shivered, clearly imagining it in my head. It was definitely as gruesome as it sounded.

"On a cheerier note, I hear there'll be two new arrivals to the school. I hear they're part dragon," Sam exclaimed, catching my interest.

"That's not the only thing _I_ heard. I heard one of them can control fire, water, earth, air and electricity! And I thought Shadow was powerful!" Magenta almost yelled, quickly covering her mouth.

"He is, in different ways," came a new voice from the table beside us. We all looked the see a dark blue hedgehog with seven drooping quills, each with a lighter blue stripe and long black hair with dark blue streaks. His eyes were a kind of fiery sky blue. His attire was a sleeveless black shirt, black jeans and fingerless gloves. On his feet were black converse.

"Are you the new guys?" Magenta asked, leaning over to the hedgehog. At the mention of another person, I noticed the lavender cat with tanned muzzle and arms, long black hair and bright green eyes. She was wearing a purple tank top, dark pink jeans and boots.

"Yep, the name's Cynder, and he's Skyfire," the cat said, a rather big grin on her face. Personality wise, she and the hedgehog seemed polar opposites. While Magenta introduced us all, I noticed Skyfire look at me darkly, then finally, Magenta introduced me.

"Mephiles. Mephiles the Dark I presume?" Skyfire asked, his hand clenched into a fist. Before I could answer, Lilith came to my rescue.

"Yes, he is. Did you really think I didn't know who he really was?" Lilith retorted, much to my surprise. If she knew who I was, then why did she trust me?

"And you trust him?" Skyfire asked, eyes widened in surprise. Lilith simply folded her arms, her light grey eyes darkening considerably.

"He saved my life twice. I think I'd know if he was evil," Lilith whispered, actually looking kinda scary.

"Okay, okay, if you say so," Skyfire said, surrendering the argument. I noticed Lilith smirk a little, but then there came trouble.

"Well well, if it isn't the goth clones and emo echidna," came the voice of a familiar green iguana. Snarling, I looked up to see him and his gang coming towards us.

"What do you want Leo? Us to kick your butts into next week?" Scarlett growled.

"Or for me to bite you and test for bloodlust?" Miranda whispered.

"Oh please, like you could hurt us," Leo laughed, his gang laughing as well.

"Oh I don't know. I think I did a pretty good job last night," I snarled, getting his attention.

"And don't give me reason to hurt you," Skyfire snarled, standing up between the gang and the girls. Sam and Jason had done the same. I had a feeling this wouldn't end well.

"And what can you do?" Leo asked, sweat evident on his face.

"How's the big bear I took down? He isn't too badly injured I hope, for his sake," I chuckled, smirking at Leo's reaction. My small pleasure lasted but a second when, behind me, I heard a growl.

"Move!" I yelled, whirling around to be met with a grey wolf with long dark brown hair and eyes lunging at the table. His black jacket, shirt, jeans and boots all seemed to have dark violet angel wings.

"Michael! I warned you it was over!!" Miranda half yelled, half snarled. The death glare she was giving was mirrored on all the girls.

"You can't deny fate Miranda," the wolf said calmly. The second he turned his gaze on the echidna, I rammed into his gut, my air shoes kicking in and propelling us outside.

"Then allow me to deny fate. I seem to be pretty good at it," I snarled as we both fought on the ground. I caught a quick glimpse of his eyes turning red before he threw me off. It was then that I noticed his fangs.

"She and I are the same, both of us have vampire blood in our veins," he said calmly, his now crimson glare on me.

"Fitting then, a half-vampire against a former demon. Bring it," I laughed, the purple/black mist moved up my body, changing me into my crystalline form. The purple flames at me feet ignited, as did an orb of dark energy. I threw it, but he dodged with his vampire speed, the air rippling at his hand.

"If you wish," Michael muttered, causing a powerful blast to knock me back. When it hit, I was slammed into the wall, leaving a nice imprint in the shape of me, before falling on my hands and knees.

"A demon is only worth slaying. Say goodnight," Michael whispered, barely loud enough for me to hear, as I felt the air rippling again. I looked up in time to see a burst of wind knock the wolf off balance. Looking up, I saw the dark blue hedgehog, Skyfire.

"Let's make this quick," Skyfire muttered, his hand now alit with flames. He threw a quick fireball at the wolf, following through with another before Michael had a chance to block it.

"This isn't over abomination. Nothing can stop fate," Michael said, running off with supernatural speed. As I tried to get up, Skyfire helped me.

"I thought you were powerful," he muttered. I knew he was trying to make a joke.

"After losing a fight to three super hedgehogs, it takes a while to fully recover," I retorted, my body already returning to its regular form.

"I'll bet it does," he replied, helping me back inside the food court. I looked back at the hole in the wall, watching as it reformed itself. I noticed the dark green glow around Skyfire's left hand, so I assumed it was somehow his doing.

"That was impressive. You are definitely a lot like Shadow," Sam said, whistling in an impressed manner.

"Only noticing it now," Miranda muttered. When I looked at her, I could see her looking at me, a small, thankful smile on her pale face. I simply smiled back, listening to all the praise. As I did, I noticed an orange.....echidna? I thought that Knuckles, and as of now Miranda, were the only ones.

* * *

As he watched the light grey streaked black hedgehog, the orange echidna felt a pang of pain in his heart. He had found him, and was about to walk over to him, when he saw the crimson haired cat. He paused, feeling his spiked long dark brown hair. He was wearing a sleeveless orange shirt, dark brown jeans and boots and a pale brown knee length coat. He had orange eyes and tanned arms and muzzle.

"_So, my brother has found friends. I hope he saw me, knows that I'm still alive. Only one way to find out,"_ Iblis thought, moving through the crowds to his hedgehog brother.


	3. Chapter 3

I watched as the orange echidna walked towards us. Looking into his orange eyes, I felt a pang of familiarity. Then, for the briefest second, his eyes changed to green, the same green that....

"No way," I breathed, getting Lilith's attention. She followed my gaze, also seeing the brief eye colour change.

"Is that.....Iblis?" she asked, sounding just as surprised as me. Unable to speak, I simply nodded as Iblis moved closer. He was close enough that I could feel his flames, filling that space that had once been empty.

When he stopped in front of me, everyone noticed him. I looked up into his eyes, only now seeing that, even as an echidna, he still towered over me. After a brief moment of staring into each other's eyes, we gave each other a large, brotherly hug.

"It's been too long brother," Iblis whispered. I could feel his oh so familiar flames coursing through my body, giving me strength. When he finally released me, we both heard five bears at another table, who appeared to be watching us, trying to hold in laughter. From what I could hear from their whispering, I began to clench my fists.

"Something funny over there?!" Iblis boomed, flames slowly circling his feet. The bears must not have noticed, seeing as they were still laughing, but Iblis was turning into a lava titan, the largest and strongest creature that he could spawn in the ruined future. Grinning, I too changed into my crystalline form.

"Care to tell me the joke. My brother and I would love to hear it," I taunted, quickly glancing behind me. Sam, Magenta, Viola and Jason where trying to hold in laughter, Scarlett and Miranda smirked, Skyfire stood with folded arms while Cynder backed away. Lilith was standing beside me, a threatening look on her face.

"Your.....uh oh," the bears mumbled, now looking at us. Iblis and I chuckled at their frightened faces as they scattered, cursing under their breath as they sprinted out of the food court.

"Well, that was fun," Iblis said, chuckling. His laughter was contagious, as me and Lilith laughed with him. When we returned to normal forms, I slapped my brother a high five.

"Haven't lost our touch," I laughed.

"So, what do you guys want to do now?" Lilith asked.

* * *

The park we were hanging out in was beautiful. We stayed near one of the swing sets overlooking the lake, Magenta, Viola and Cynder having fun on the swings, Sam and Jason pushing the two triplets, while I sat on the grass next to Lilith, Iblis lying next to Scarlett and Skyfire lying next to Miranda, both of them deep in conversation. The sun was setting over the lake, turning the water mesmerising shades of purple, red and orange.

"That was definitely a fun day," Lilith sighed, giving a yawn and accidently resting her hand on mine. "Oh...sorry....I was just..." she stuttered, blushing slightly.

"Relax. I don't mind," I chuckled, my eyes half closed and a smile on my face. I quickly glanced at Iblis, seeing him absently playing with Scarlett's ponytails. I was half expecting the rocker girl to make him stop, but instead, she seemed not to notice. Correction, she must be enjoying it, judging by the small smile on her face.

"It's just...you know...awkward moment," Lilith stuttered, her cheeks turning a brighter pink.

"It doesn't need to be," I whispered, clearly taking her by surprise. I looked to the two triplets on the swings, listening to Magenta shouting in childlike joy while Sam pushed her, laughter showing he was enjoying it. Jason was pushing Viola gently, the two of them with quiet smiles on their faces. Cynder had jumped off her swing, going over to Skyfire and Miranda.

"I think Scarlett has a little crush," Lilith whispered, her eyes telling me to look. I sighed, content, when I saw Scarlett sitting there, Iblis gently rubbing the small of her back.

"I'm guessing she isn't the only one," I whispered. She looked me in the eye, the setting sun shining in those beautiful pools of light grey. She didn't look surprised or embarrassed in the slightest.

"How did you guess?" she whispered, her cheeks a light shade of pink.

"When you said you trusted me, despite knowing who I was and what I'd done," I whispered back.

"Everyone deserves a second chance if they're given one," she said, letting out a small yawn.

"Hey guys, who's up for a campfire?" Sam shouted, jolting the two of us from our little moment. Said brown fox was carrying some wood, Jason behind him setting it up. Everyone else was gathering around, watching Skyfire snap his fingers, igniting a small flame in his hand.

* * *

"There's not really much to tell. Nothing exciting, just a normal life until we decided to move here to Station Square. Not as big as Westopolis and closer to the ocean and Mystic Ruins," Skyfire said, giving us a short version of his and Cynder's life story.

"Guess I'm the only one here with the tragic past," Miranda sighed, curling her knees to her chest. "My mom was a vampire, and my dad was a regular echidna. When I was born, my mom lost her immortality, and I was born a half vampire, having the speed, strength, pale skin and fangs. My dad had blue eyes and my mom had red ones, so I guess that's why I have violet eyes," she said, presumably not too keen on telling her tale.

"I lived a normal life until my fifth birthday. It was just the three of us at home, when some thieves broke in. I was in another room, so when I heard shouting in the living room, I walked in. Someone pointed a gun at me, and just as it fired, my mom protected me while my dad fought them off. She died in my arms....and my dad blames me for it. He said that if I had never been born, my mom would still be alive. I just stayed in my room, only leaving to go to school and go out. Sometimes he'd come in and beat me, usually when he was in a very foul mood," Miranda sobbed.

"It used to be so bad. At school I'd be made fun of and I used to cut my wrists, at least until I met Viola. From there, my life actually grew bearable," she cried, curling up into Skyfire's chest, letting the hedgehog comfort her.

"I never thought anyone's father could be capable of something like that. She shouldn't have to stay with him," I whispered to Lilith.

"I know. But none of us would be capable of dealing with her father...." Lilith said, just as Miranda's name was yelled.

"My dad...." Miranda whimpered, only making Skyfire hold her tighter.

"He'll have some of his drinking friends with him," Lilith gasped, this only strengthening my resolve.

"It won't matter. He won't stand a chance," I growled, looking to Iblis, then to Skyfire. As much as we'd started out on the wrong foot, I was starting to respect that hedgehog and his power.

"Come here you little....." yelled the grey echidna as he came towards us, only to be interrupted by Skyfire standing up between him and Miranda.

"Back off," Skyfire growled, wings unfurled and opened threateningly. I could now see five more Mobians approaching.

"She's my daughter. I'll treat her as I see fit," Miranda's dad spat, now backed up.

"Then you're unfit to be a father," Skyfire snarled, diving headlong into the echidna with a battle growl. When one of the other Mobians, a bear, surged forward, Iblis attacked, sending him and the bear crashing to the ground.

With speed equal to Sonic and Shadow, I landed a punch to a fox's jaw, barely dodging a kick. I could hear Scarlett coming to help me, catching the fox in the face with her ponytails. In the fire's light, I could see the red marks where they'd hit.

Jason and Viola worked like a good team, Viola using her butterfly wings to help Jason get the drop on a panther. Sam moved like a ghost, appearing behind a hedgehog while Magenta somersaulted, landing a downward kick to the hedgehog's head. Cynder was fighting another cat, firing waves of dark pink energy.

"Scarlett, tell the others to get out of here. Leave this to me, Iblis and Skyfire," I ordered, barely dodging a kick. Without arguing, Scarlett shouted, sprinting off with the others. "Brother, don't hold back!" I shouted, feeling the black mist move up my body. Now in my demon form, I launched my fist forward, punching the fox in the nose while kicking the hedgehog in the gut.

"Finally," Iblis mumbled, instantly in his titan form. With a mighty roar, he bulldozed right into the remaining three assailants. We watched as Skyfire fought it out with the grey echidna, green energy in his hand. Leaping back, he fired a deafening sound blast, stunning the echidna. Without hesitation, Skyfire launched consecutive sonic blasts, resounding through the area like thunder.

"If you hurt her, I won't hesitate to let lose," Skyfire growled, his eyes turning dark purple for just a brief moment as he walked off, leaving the echidna embedded in the tree trunk. Transforming back, Iblis and I followed.

* * *

When we caught up with the others at the park gate, they didn't bombard us with questions. Instead we walked off in silence, Iblis putting his arm around Scarlett while Skyfire comforted Miranda. He said something that made Miranda hug him tighter, whispering something that sounded like a "thank you".

"You were really brave," Lilith whispered, walking beside me. I put my arm around her shoulder, hugging her close.

"It was nothing. They had it coming for the way they treat people," I whispered back, looking into those beautiful grey eyes, seeing them well up with tears. "Don't cry. It all turned out okay, and things will be better now," I whispered, wiping the tears from her eyes.


End file.
